Hartford resident Katiria Vanessa Tirado called 911 on Feb. 14 to report that her 17-year-old son was vomiting and had a bulging stomach. Her son, Matthew, later died and Tirado was charged with cruelty to persons after police said her son weighed 84 lbs. (Ronald DeRosa)

Hartford resident Katiria Vanessa Tirado called 911 on Feb. 14 to report that her 17-year-old son was vomiting and had a bulging stomach. Her son, Matthew, later died and Tirado was charged with cruelty to persons after police said her son weighed 84 lbs. (Ronald DeRosa)

"I used to have gallstones before and I remember how it feels like and how it looks like. He's very weak," Tirado says in the call.

Tirado later told investigators that Matthew began vomiting the night of Feb. 11, improved the next day and then began throwing up again the night of Feb. 12. When his condition worsened and his vomit turned a dark color, she searched for his symptoms online and found they may be related to gall bladder issues, according to her arrest warrant.

Before hanging up, the 911 dispatcher asks for the mother's name. "Vanessa," she says, using her middle name.

Matthew's death remains under investigation by the Department of Children and Families and the state Office of the Child Advocate, which has said it is looking at the handling of the case by DCF, Matthew's previous school and the child's court-appointed lawyer.

Shortly before the teen died, DCF workers closed his neglect investigation and stopped supervising his mother.

"I blame the system for this; they had a chance, but they didn't take it," Patricia Malliet, Matthew's cousin, said at the boy's wake Feb. 24. "... I thought [the Department of Children and Families] was supposed to protect kids like him. You can't just close the case and turn your back."

That day, DCF Commissioner Joette Katz released a statement saying the boy had been "terribly abused and neglected" by Tirado.

"We are currently thoroughly reviewing our work to see what we could have done differently or what could have prevented this awful tragedy from occurring," Katz said.

Tirado is being held on a $200,000 bail. She is next scheduled to appear in Superior Court in Hartford on March 21.